Same-admission cholecystectomy for children, and what bariatric surgery does to cancer risk

The edition in brief

Today's general surgery edition. In 13,517 children admitted with gallstone pancreatitis in a US readmission database, those who had cholecystectomy during the index admission were readmitted within 60 days far less often than those who had no intervention (4.4% vs 24.8%); the data are observational. Among 784,105 Nordic adults with obesity, bariatric surgery was associated with about a fifth fewer obesity-related cancers, with the same relative reduction under and over 40, but pancreatic cancer was more common after surgery, especially in younger adults. A meta-analysis of 7,133 patients linked robot-assisted total mesorectal excision to a higher chance of a restorative resection than laparoscopy, without more leaks, though the studies were mostly non-randomised. A small randomised trial of preoperative botulinum toxin into the sphincter of Oddi before distal pancreatectomy stopped for futility, with fistula rates no lower. The pearl restates same-admission cholecystectomy for mild gallstone pancreatitis in adults.